Evolving Into Rain
by tir-synni
Summary: Leon meets a stranger with a familiar face at the Colliseum. LeonCloud


Title: Evolving into Rain  
Pairing: LeonCloud  
Rating: PG-13  
Warnings: Spoilers  
Summary: Leon meets a stranger with a familiar face at the Colliseum.

"Tiny place, isn't it?" Yuffie Kisaragi chirped, hopping off the _Highwind_. Dust flew up under the young ninja's feet, and she coughed lightly, waving her hand in the air before her. "Ugh. Couldn't they have chosen somewhere nicer to hold these tournaments? Huh? What do you say, Squall?"

Slowly, heavy boots padded down the _Highwind_'s steps. Smoky blue eyes glared at the grinning ninja. "It's Leon," the brunet said shortly. Ignoring Yuffie's snicker, Leon glanced at the golden building in front of him. Two warriors, weapons crossed, posed above the large entrance. Leon narrowed his eyes. Yuffie was right; the place seemed tiny. Could this building truly be big enough to hold the tournaments?

Yuffie trotted to the silent young man. She flashed her teeth in a quick grin; sharp blue eyes noted how one slender hand never moved from the holster at her side.

"So," Yuffie commented breezily, looking at the double-doors before them. "This is where we're going to kick that punk's ass?"

Smoky blue narrowed in Yuffie's direction. "We're only here to check his progress," Leon responded curtly. Glancing cautiously one last time at the _Highwind_ ("If anythin' happens to my baby," Cid snarled, brandishing his spear, "I'll gut ya both!"), Leon started for the double-doors.

The ninja snorted and matched his steps. "Yep. And you couldn't do that at Traverse Town? Admit it, you wanted to kick some ass, too!" To Leon's private amusement, he caught the young woman's wary look back at the _Highwind_.

As usual, Leon did not deign to respond to Yuffie's chatter. One hand tight on Lionheart, Leon trudged up the golden steps. He could feel the young woman rolling her eyes at him but didn't care.

Yuffie sighed. "Maybe Cid wouldn't mind if we took the long way back to Traverse Town. When Sora stops the Heartless—"

"Who knows what will happen," Leon cut in. He rested one gloved hand on the heavy doors. "There are no guarantees."

A small, calloused hand settled over his. "Just don't forget, Leon," Yuffie said softly. "There's always hope."

Her dark eyes stared pleadingly at him, but for what, Leon didn't know. Tearing his eyes away, Leon pushed the door open and walked inside. For a moment, Yuffie stood frozen before she slipped through the closing doors.

It took a moment for Leon's sharp eyes to adjust to the change in light. Only torchlight lit the small room, but the brilliant walls helped make it seem brighter. Momentarily ignoring the sulking satyr standing on the other side of the room, his eyes focused on treasure chest sitting prominently to his left (_Prize for the winner?_). Then he glanced thoughtfully at the large block dominating the right side of the room. Something about it disturbed him, and he filed it away for later. The only other sights of interest in the room were the small niches along the walls. A trophy filled one already. _Sora, winner of the Phil Cup_, Leon read, amused.

"We want to be in the Pegasus Tournament!" Yuffie announced to the satyr, her voice dragging Leon back to the present.

The satyr grunted and glared at her. "You know what's in that tournament, little miss?" he snapped. "Two words: Heartless!" Leon hid a cringe at that. "They're vicious! We only have a couple other humans in the tournament, and—"

Leon had heard enough. Clunking forward, Leon fastened his icy gaze on the suddenly silent satyr. "We want in the tournament. Now."

The satyr gulped, and Yuffie chuckled. Leon didn't care. "Fine, fine, kid," the satyr grumbled. "Geez, just what we need around here: another guy with a stick up his ass." Yuffie howled with laughter, doubling over when the satyr flinched away from Leon's hard gaze. The satyr's Adam apple bobbed in an awkward swallow. "R-right." The satyr dug in his pocket and pulled out two tickets. "Here. These'll get ya into the matches. Ya can go back and warm up now. Watch out for a couple of freaks back there. They hold back in the tournaments, but they're still mean. Just call for Phil if ya need help."

Yuffie smiled sweetly at him, even as she grabbed Leon's arm and dragged him down the hall. "Thanks!" she tossed over her shoulder. Leon's lips tightened.

Only after they left the room did Phil allow himself to breathe. "Yeesh," he grumbled. "He's as mean as that Strife kid."

xoxoxox

Leon's skin tightened with every Heartless that passed them, recognizing several species as the same that haunted Traverse Town. Yuffie's excited chatter didn't fade as she pulled him down the dark hallway, but her tight grip on his arm quickly numbed his forearm to his fingers.

"I know, I know, we have to take it easy on Sora," she continued, the hallway beginning to lighten, "but we can really have fun with everything else—"

Yuffie's voice cut off, and even Leon blinked as the arena came into view. The arena seemed to be the biggest thing on this world, a sprawling platform that glowed with the sunlight streaming through the open ceiling. Tall pillars lined the platform, and Leon could sense the power streaming through those poles. Not just for looks, then.

"Plenty of space to run away and grab a potion," Yuffie commented approvingly. "Di—" Her eyes widened. "Shit! My potions! I left them back in the _Highwind_! I'll be right back!"

Eyes wide, Leon whirled on her, but it was too late: Yuffie was already darting off back down the hall. _Dammit, Yuffie_, Leon seethed. _This place is filled with Heartless!_ But he remained silent and slumped against the wall. He was annoyed, true, but nowhere near surprised. The girl always ran off like that.

Smoky eyes looked over the arena, narrowing in thought. In the hallway, Heartless had constantly been underfoot. Now at the arena, only Leon occupied the area. Casually, the brunet slipped Lionhart from its sheath. Better safe than sorry.

"Cautious guy, ain't ya?" an unfamiliar voice drawled. Instantly, the tip of Lionheart rested against a blue throat. The tall figure blinked and laughed warily, even as Leon eyed the flames dancing on the man's head. He'd never seen a Heartless like _that_ before. "_Really_ cautious guy, apparently. Hey, mind giving a guy a hand and moving this sharp thing away from my neck?"

Leon scowled at the tall being, taking in the odd robes. A native? He made Leon's skin crawl, but so far he had done nothing threatening. The brunet inched his blade away from the stranger, his cold eyes hard on the blue face. The strange being smiled charmingly, but Leon could see his fangs.

"There," the stranger said soothingly, "that wasn't that hard, was it? I'm totally harmless. I just saw you standing there, looking lost–your first time here, right?–and since I know this area, I thought I'd come over here and give you a hand."

Leon glared at him. "I don't need help," he gritted out. Knuckles white over the hilt of Lionheart, he leaned against the wall and stared past the man's shoulder.

The blue man laughed heartily, and Leon clutched Lionheart. "Ooh, a feisty kitten, aren't ya? I'm not offering _help_, I'm offering _advice_."

Scowling, Leon stared into those arctic eyes, uncaring of the being's sunny smile. "And what do you want in return?" he retorted.

The charming smile never wavered. "Ooh, smart boy--

"Back off, Hades," an icy voice cut in. The smile on that blue face vanished, to Leon's interest, and he obligingly turned with "Hades" to see a figure in the shadows. "Take your games elsewhere."

"Back off, Strife!" Hades hissed, and Leon's eyes widened. _Strife?_ "I don't need your help."

The shadowed figure languidly stepped into the light, his tattered cloak flowing around him. Distant blue eyes met Hades' gaze, and Leon stared, transfixed, at the familiar figure. No one else had that shock of blond hair.

"Why would I want to help you?" Cloud Strife inquired, his young, delicate face hard. Cloud . . . little Cloud. . . . Leon and the others had thought him lost to the darkness that had claimed Hollow Bastian. When had his bright eyes grown so cold? When by Odin did he acquire that massive blade? "Go back to Tartarus, Hades. Take your Heartless with you."

_Your Heartless?_ Hard eyes fastened on Hades. "You're the leader of the Heartless in this area," Leon snarled.

Facing two pairs of deadly eyes and deadlier blades, Hades hastily stepped backwards. "Hey, hey, no need for this. Was just being helpful, that's all. Yeesh!" But he wasn't looking at Leon; he was looking at Cloud. Despite his soothing words, an angry fire glowed in those eyes. "Here's some helpful advice, to show my goodwill." He narrowed his eyes at Cloud. "Watch out for the local doggies; they have big teeth."

Cloud didn't blink, not moving until Hades stalked off. Then those intense eyes focused on Leon. The brunet's breath caught. Cloud . . . Cloud had grown up. The darkness in those once familiar eyes chilled Leon.

"Watch out for him," the blond warned. "It's when you can't see him that he's at his most dangerous."

Not giving Leon time to respond, Cloud faded back into the shadows. Dropping Lionheart, Leon lunged forward. "Cloud!" he shouted. "Wait!"

By the time Leon reached the hidden hallway, no trace remained of the blond.

Leon's legs trembled, threatening to give out under him. He grabbed the wall to balance himself. Cloud Strife. The tiny, naive blond who had constantly lounged at the Rising Falls. The young boy with the brilliant, inquisitive eyes, always glowing with an odd light. One of the many orphans taken under Ansem's wing.

"Cloud," Leon breathed. "Wait. Why?"

"Hey, Leon! Sorry it took me so–" Yuffie's voice trailed off, and Leon heard her pounding footsteps stutter to a stop. "What happened? Are you all right?"

Hearing the younger fighter's frightened voice helped steady Leon. He still had responsibilities. He hadn't completely failed, not yet. He sucked in a breath through his nostrils and straightened his back.

"Keep a sharp eye out," Leon said evenly. "It's when you can't see the enemies that they're at their most dangerous."


End file.
